I have a dream that one day, all posters will be intelligent and smart.
I have a dream that one day, all posters will do research before making sweeping conclusions.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I have a dream... and it is being brutally beaten upon by these ignorant assumptions being thrown around at EVERY turn.

i take exception to the 1st line.
when i started posting here, i actually didnt know anything about the "business" of basketball.
im a raptors fan, plain and simple. i keep tabs on the transactions, watch the games, hope they win.
not until i became a regular poster here that i looked more into the salary cap, TPEs, etc, etc.
i think forums are not just for people to voice opinions but to learn a few things here and there as well.

izbilla is posting as a fan and i find no fault in that.
the raps maybe building or rebuilding like the thunder, but their success doesnt necessarily translate to that of the Raptors.
Its not math. I dont think there's a sure formula when it comes to basketball or sports in general.

i take exception to the 1st line.
when i started posting here, i actually didnt know anything about the "business" of basketball.
im a raptors fan, plain and simple. i keep tabs on the transactions, watch the games, hope they win.
not until i became a regular poster here that i looked more into the salary cap, TPEs, etc, etc.
i think forums are not just for people to voice opinions but to learn a few things here and there as well.

izbilla is posting as a fan and i find no fault in that.
the raps maybe building or rebuilding like the thunder, but their success doesnt necessarily translate to that of the Raptors.
Its not math. I dont think there's a sure formula when it comes to basketball or sports in general.

Was meant more as a joke than anything. But you are right I suppose. Didn't mean any harm by it. I was more pointing to the incredible amount of blissful ingorance that is running amok here, where people don't even bother to take 4 minutes to see if what they are writing is even correct and accurate. Thats all I was saying.
I am all for people coming in here with an attitude that 'I am looking to learn and contribute'. But when people come in with a stubborn, "I'm Right, You're wrong" and no room for sway, than these conversations are no longer conversations and simpy random people stating opinion. Which is fine. But form it as opinion and not fact.

i take exception to the 1st line.
when i started posting here, i actually didnt know anything about the "business" of basketball.
im a raptors fan, plain and simple. i keep tabs on the transactions, watch the games, hope they win.
not until i became a regular poster here that i looked more into the salary cap, TPEs, etc, etc.
i think forums are not just for people to voice opinions but to learn a few things here and there as well.

izbilla is posting as a fan and i find no fault in that.
the raps maybe building or rebuilding like the thunder, but their success doesnt necessarily translate to that of the Raptors.
Its not math. I dont think there's a sure formula when it comes to basketball or sports in general.

You make some very good points. This is a good place for people to learn the whole game, not just the on court product.

You're right, this isn't something that can be solved with math but it'd probably best to go the path that gives you the most probability for success. I think in the current climate and with the Raptors' reputation, going the Thunder route is the best path.

Was meant more as a joke than anything. But you are right I suppose. Didn't mean any harm by it. I was more pointing to the incredible amount of blissful ingorance that is running amok here, where people don't even bother to take 4 minutes to see if what they are writing is even correct and accurate. Thats all I was saying.
I am all for people coming in here with an attitude that 'I am looking to learn and contribute'. But when people come in with a stubborn, "I'm Right, You're wrong" and no room for sway, than these conversations are no longer conversations and simpy random people stating opinion. Which is fine. But form it as opinion and not fact.

i know you were, i actually laughed when i read it but also figured some posters might feel theyre being shoo-ed away so i tried to defend the common man, so to speak.

hahaha i have that attitude sometimes, but when im wrong, i admit to it in the end.

I think that too many of the fan posts I've been reading or listening to today are too negative, and sounds like many are feeling sorry for themselves saying that nobody will come to Toronto. That's not true. Players want to win. If your team is shit most companies wouldn't want to be affiliated with them through endorsements either. How many Milwaukee Bucks, Pacers or Kings have big endorsement deals? Toronto is not the problem. Vince Carter had his deals and so did Bosh. Perhaps not as much as in the States, but I think we can see that Bosh isn't the corporate stud he thought he'd be. What corporation is looking past D-Wade and Lebron to get ahold of Bosh? Maybe Lenscrafters or Business Depot, thats about it.

The Nets gave up huge talent and picks to get D-Will. I can't imagine them doing much better than they were before with Harris and Favours combined. In the offseason they might pick up free agents, but who is there?

The majority of Boston's players bones are turning into dust. They will be competitive this season and maybe next at the max. From then on it will be the Rondo show and back to the draft.

Philly? Blah....

New York will be good, but I doubt they will be able to deal with Miami, Chicago or even Orlando in the future unless Chris Paul comes there. If he does then the NBA needs to get rid of 5 or 6 teams because if they think they're losing money now, wait until only 8 teams have legit all-stars. Look at the all star game, out of the 12 all stars in the east 9 of them were from 3 teams (Boston, Miami, Atlanta). The west is a little more even.

Coming up, Toronto has the potential to have 2 decent starters in Derozan (2nd or 3rd option) and Bargnani (3rd or 4th option) with Amir as the good garbage man, with Davis in the wings. If we can get a quality PG or SF who can create their own shot, the Raps will be much better off. Due to their division getting stacked through trades, Toronto's consistent sucking will allow them to become stacked through the draft if Colangelo can get his picks right. Stay the course for a couple more hard seasons and there will be an upside. By the time the rest of the teams start falling off, Toronto should be right there. IF Derozan or Davis splits then we will have a problem. If our draft pick fails to report via Steve Francis, worry then, not now.

You make some very good points. This is a good place for people to learn the whole game, not just the on court product.

You're right, this isn't something that can be solved with math but it'd probably best to go the path that gives you the most probability for success. I think in the current climate and with the Raptors' reputation, going the Thunder route is the best path.

oh yeah no doubt about it.
its always been the case with pretty much everything in this world.
somebody invents something, others follow the same path to success, eventhough some dont admit that they did, hehe.
originality, at least in the NBA, doesnt merit hero worship anymore.
the key is to find something that has been proven to work, and make it your own.

im all for the Raps going through the same path as the Thunder, but like i said, there are no guarantees so im not jumping up and down just yet.

teams are going to suck at times... its inevitable.. the celts are going to suck at times... the lakers are going to suck at times... im patiently waiting for the spurs to hit that wall...

people take the business of basketball too personally... i'm all for being passionate for your team but getting on a soapbox to declare "so and so HAVE to go!!! FIRE !!! we should trade random player for conditional picks and cash considerations!" is nonsensical

im of the mindset that the worst nba exec in the league is a better GM than i would be (except isiah thomas.. even i could do better than that)... so might as well take the good and take the bad.. just keep supporting your team

ok u guyz r probably going to think im a retard for not knowing this, but Wtf is the CBA?

Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Is under debate and negotiation right now, and it determines ALL of the rules when it comes to running the team and acquiring players. Not a silly question by any means.

ok u guyz r probably going to think im a retard for not knowing this, but Wtf is the CBA?

It's an agreement between the Owners and Players Association which details the rules by which the league and teams distribute wealth among the owners and players. It also dictates such as the type of salary cap, how much players get paid, defines signing and trade exception, defines trading rules, etc.

The current agreement is about to expire and the owners and the PA(Players Association) are in negotiations. Things don't look good so far and the owners are threatening to lock the players out. Estentially, they won't commence next season until an agreement is reached. This means players won't get paid.

Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Is under debate and negotiation right now, and it determines ALL of the rules when it comes to running the team and acquiring players. Not a silly question by any means.